Haha, well I was going to watch it live, but got engrossed in LoL until about 6:20. Figuring I had missed most of it, I tuned in anyway, and to my delight you guys hadn't really even started yet. Net win for me! Anyway, nice episode, I kind of get the feeling that you guys might be doing quite a few like this as ANet doesn't always release anything new. Definitely love Gamebreaker, Gary is a great host as are you and all the other regulars, keep up the great work!

Look at Rubi very closely. This is what someone that is probably enjoying beta looks like, lol.

Also, earlier in the video they were talking about why they don't know why people compare the popularity of different games and get upset about the competition. IMO, it's because people want the things they like to be successful. People want the security of knowing that they things they are interested in have a bright future (as far as new games/expansions of the same IP). It's not a logical fear, per se, to think that if GW2 doesn't blow all the other games out of the water that it will fail, but I understand it.

Well, if you've ever wanted a Rubi Rant in written form, here's a mild one for you. No, I'm not in the beta. Yes, I wanted to be so very badly, and I was really stressed out over it for most of Thursday and Friday. (Hang on, that's not the rant part.) I spent some of that time asking myself some serious questions, namely, "Why do you want in so badly? Do you just want to play the game or do you actually want to be useful and hunt bugs?" The answer was some of both. I mean, of course I want to play it. What fan doesn't want to play the thing at this point?

While its entirely possible that ArenaNet and massively have agreed to such a deceptive stance, i find it very very unlikely.

Nice for answering my question.=p
But to add a little extra information about feat chests... these are made for players who have little time to play the game (easy to get) and offer gold and EXP rewards.

Now imagine, every day - almost every single player will be able to get these feat chests. Thousands upon thousands of players will be getting these chests. Makes me worry...

Nice for answering my question.=p
But to add a little extra information about feat chests... these are made for players who have little time to play the game (easy to get) and offer gold and EXP rewards.

Now imagine, every day - almost every single player will be able to get these feat chests. Thousands upon thousands of players will be getting these chests. Makes me worry...

But... that doesn't mean anything without knowing the numbers. Almost anything you do in the game is going to net you some gold. Getting a little extra for your first couple hours of play doesn't have to be a big deal.

Look at Rubi very closely. This is what someone that is probably enjoying beta looks like, lol.

Also, earlier in the video they were talking about why they don't know why people compare the popularity of different games and get upset about the competition. IMO, it's because people want the things they like to be successful. People want the security of knowing that they things they are interested in have a bright future (as far as new games/expansions of the same IP). It's not a logical fear, per se, to think that if GW2 doesn't blow all the other games out of the water that it will fail, but I understand it.

Right or wrong, I would be wary of having the media in a closed beta. This is front loaded with Rubi being a fan, but I would still not want the random media in the closed beta.

It's understandable. There is a natural tendency to accept a crappy short-term if eventually you get what you want... that's how the outside world functions. The thing is, with games the universe can be whatever its creators want it to be. So, like ANet has stated, there is no real reason for the dichotomy. Just make everything fun.

The high-level Dynamic Events on Orr will probably be the closest equivalent to "raids". Max level players won't be "just standing around..."

Did Shawn and Rubi just totally zone on attribute points and traits?!? Those are the closest equivalent to "specs".

Agreed. There were so many things that they either mixed up or did not answer properly.

Like Arena Net has not started its marketing for one. It has only publicly announced the stages of development that they are doing for the game.

I stopped watching half way though... I could not take in that much misinformation.

Just one downfall I have to say about Gamebreaker which on some shows it always happens. They either have too much lack of information or its incorrect. It happens way to often with many of their shows to the point where it just becomes annoying.

Yes they can't get everything right and yes people make mistakes but not this many. They should at least have some information saved on a word document or something so they can easily go back and re-read it to ensure that they are saying the right thing.

Other then that I love what they do and the way they present the show. Just more account and up-to-date information would make the sure more enjoyable.

Rubi actually mentioned that Martin said that the real marketing has not yet started ;)

But yeah, there were quite some mistakes, though I figure this can easily happen as a GW player doesn't really use the word "respec", e.g. Changing builds is so easy you really can't call it that way - however, when Gary mentioned the skilltree they really should have thought of traits ;)
Sometimes I also wonder if the way they explain stuff makes it come across totally differently to someone who's not an avid forum reader. Right now, if it weren't for google, I would still be totally thinking that the Guardian is essentially a tank and that you can even take on that role in GW2!

Anyway, live shows are always hard to do, so good job rubi, probeard (:D) and Gary ;)

E:
or the potions. Afaik the question was based on a highly-speculative article from way back, however the way Rubi went on about energy potions sounded like ANet intended to sell those via an in-game store. Only briefly did she mention that they can be "acquired in many different ways", which can be easily overheard.

for all the people speculating who is in the BETA and who is not we should have a thread or something :P (Joke)
I also sometimes watch game reviewers/youtubers and notice they suddenly know a lot more about the game or put less content out (*kuch TB*) xD

If Rubi hasn't been invited yet, she will be soon. She's media, fan, longtime GW1 player, and she seems.to be one of their favorite people all wrapper into one. Its really inevitable, IMO.

Rubi is definitely on the list of people that need/deserve an invite. Although, she made a slip in the recent Guildcast that made me think she might already be in it. It's alright, your secret is safe with me gurrrl... damnit!

Mordakai said:

why are people so obsessed with "endgame"? I guess my question is really:
What do you want to do at Max level? Grind for gear?
How are all the repeatable Dungeons and Dynamic Events not enough?

ArenaNet paying attention to all aspects of play is awesome. I love their perspective - "the entire game is endgame". It reinforces the game is and should be fun from top to bottom. I would hope most developers take the same approach in their thinking. However, the truth is in the pudding. Wanting something to be fun isn't the same as it actually being fun. Questing, dungeon-crawling, and crafting may not hold enough appeal for some people. That is where I feel the whole "end-game" (i.e. raiding), becomes a valid concern. It's simply an extra level of content (i.e. option), that won't be available in GW2. This will be a tough sell for people wanting to raid in their MMO.

Raiding isn't the big boogie monster some make it out to be. Although it may not be everyone cup of tea, there are quite a few players that love it. Raiding/end-game filled a niche for people, that enjoyed organized large-group teamplay. I find leveling/questing can be enjoyable, but only the first time through. Same thing with dungeons. Crafting is mostly a chore, and rarely has any meaning. I'd rather try my luck with drops or buy gear I like. If crafting brought no raiding benefit, I wouldn't touch it personally. So once quests have been completed, and dungeons explored, what is there for somebody like me? I'd stick around for my guild and friends of course, but I wouldn't want my experience in-game to be one of a glorified chat box.

Time will tell if the large scale dynamic events will be sufficient to quench that desire to raid. I have my doubts since they are not the same thing. It will come down to whether they are 1) frequent enough, and 2) challenging. The dynamic events look fun, don't get me wrong, they just make a poor substitute for a full raiding experience. They seem more like open world boss fights than anything else (which is cool). Large bosses are fun and all, but there will be little sense of accomplishment if they are too easily killed. Loot piñatas can only hold so much interest.

I will play GW2 and enjoy it, but I will certainly miss raiding - especially a raiding experience developed by the talented ArenaNet team. The lack of raids feels like a dropped opportunity to be honest. With the team's emphasis on story, a deep story driven raid would have been amazing.

I think that Guildcast really needs 1 "fanboy" from guru :D Why? Because, lets face it, no one outside Anet knows GW2 better then we do. :D That way, when someone asks something about GW2 that "fan" can answer it properly, without providing missinformation :) I think that will really help the show, beacuse I think that 3 of them is not enough :D

I think that Guildcast really needs 1 "fanboy" from guru :D Why? Because, lets face it, no one outside Anet knows GW2 better then we do. :D That way, when someone asks something about GW2 that "fan" can answer it properly, without providing missinformation :) I think that will really help the show, beacuse I think that 3 of them is not enough :D

Yeah who else has watched every video, read every blogpost, read every interview and sifted through every bit of info out there. They didn't seem to give definitive answers to the questions that have them, questions that have been asked in interviews with the devs repeatedly and have solid answers already.

Someone should just compile a huge cheatsheet that has the answers to all of the most common worries people have about the game.

I'll do it...wait, that would mean you all would know what I look and sound like.

...not sure if that's a good idea.

Video isn't playing on my mobile, gonna have to wait until later.

Edit: I actually would but I doubt they'd bring me on, and being live on camera does tend to make you forget things that would come to you in a second at other times, so even the most knowledgeable person's mind can go blank.

As you know, weapon skills unlock as you use the weapon. It runs on a little progress bar (referred to as "proficiency" in-game) that advances as you kill enemies with the weapon. Skills unlock once the proficiency meter passes its icon on the bar, and always in that specific order for that weapon/profession. Each weapon learns skills separately, but there is evidence supporting some weapons or combinations might earn proficiency for others under certain conditions.

The weapon skills do not change; a Sword is a Sword and there's only so many ways to swing one. (haha! in-joke!) However, these and all skills can be modified by Traits, which are currently being reworked. There's not much info about the new system or how exactly they're going to work yet, but we do know that Traits can be as small as adding extra conditions or upping critical hit ratios, or as dramatic as changing a melee-range skill into a long-range skill. Screenshots from G*Star imply that Traits will have some sort of point system attached to them, but there is no indication of what the number actually means.

The second half of the bar, the Utility skills unlock in two ways. Other than the Heal, the slots unlock as your character levels up. You should earn all three of your Utility slots by level 10 (give or take), and you unlock the Elite slot around level 30. To fill those slots, Guild Wars 2 utilizes a "sort of" skill tree system. By gaining levels and participating in certain Events and activities (modded from the old Trait acquisition system), you earn Skill Points which you then spend to unlock skills. As far as we can tell, you can unlock any Heal, Utility, or Elite skill at any time from the Hero screen, provided you have enough points to "buy" it. Skills do not appear to have prerequisites (aside from the aforementioned space restrictions, but that shouldn't be an issue unless you really, really want to buy your Elite skills at level 10 "just to have them"). Once unlocked, you can equip the skills into any appropriate slot. There is evidence suggesting skill costs rise the more you buy or higher level you get, but nothing concrete.

I find leveling/questing can be enjoyable, but only the first time through. Same thing with dungeons.

Well fortunately this game doesn't have quests. It has a web of persistent, logically branching events that will be fundamentally different then a series of quest hubs with a nearby region full of objectives to complete. Leveling in this game won't feel like the traditional experience we're all used to.

And the 8 dungeons not only have the initial story dungeon experience, they then open up 3 explorable (hard) modes, with some random elements thrown in (like the ever popular troll suddenly bursting through a wall) that will add some much needed diversity to your dungeon runs.

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...especially a raiding experience developed by the talented ArenaNet team. The lack of raids feels like a dropped opportunity to be honest. With the team's emphasis on story, a deep story driven raid would have been amazing.

They still have an amazing, story driven experience in the game. It's just tuned for a much more manageable, quickly organizable, and more easily balanced against team of five.